The Untitled Past
by Kikiam
Summary: These are the events that could have taken place if Recca was born twenty-something years earlier. Bashing and Flaming highly needed.
1. Ichi Hen - Watashi no Fushigi Yume...

The sun slowly dropped behind the mountains as the sky darkened into the night. People, of young and old, entered their homes, and reunited to tell their adventures and misadventures for the day, unlike me, who sat by the side of a nearby river.  
I slowly touched my left cheek, where a scar of mystery lay. All these years, I wondered and wondered, why such a horrible mark had been bestowed upon me. I had been asking my Otousama and my Okaasama the reason for this, but they keep on hiding a secret that has never been revealed to me.  
I am quite young, sixteen years of age, with a life that might be quite interesting to follow. My name is Recca. I live in a village wherein all people ar trained in combat. We are called the Hokage, the ninja clan of the Flame Shadow. The name is quite true, for our clan is always hidden, always shrouded in mystery with the mysterious madougu we make, while being known to be the masters of the flame, casting and controlling it with our bare hands.  
I have the same power, which is passed on from generation to generation, determining who will be the next one to lead our clan to victory. It is like a way of choosing a leader with the mere belief in destiny and fate.   
I had been trained since birth for the formidable task. Not that I lived my life like some great emperor, but tested in combat and at the same time leadership. Sometimes, lessons were hard, yet they were there to be learned in order to give my best.  
Every Hokage ninja must be trained in combat and live a life bound by rules of honor and justice. That is my goal.  
I stood up and slowly walked towards our compound, the largest one that can be found in the village. My father, the twenty-sixth leader of the Hokage, Ohka was standing outside, talking grimly to a familiar man. He was Kamiya-san, my father's right-hand man. They gave me furtive glances as they talked.  
As the next leader, I knew I had rights to know what was going on. I approached them and tried to get hold of the conversation, but my father stopped me before I can even take a step.  
"Go inside, Recca. This is not for your ears to hear," Otousama said coldly.  
I obeyed his command. I felt a little disappointed with the treatment I recently received. Although I was firmly trained that I can't get everything I want, I still disliked the fact that at this point and time, secrets were still kept from me.   
Okaasama was happily waiting for me inside. On the low table, the food lay waiting for people to eat it.  
"Welcome home, Recca," she said. She knew my daily habit of meditating by the riverside every late afternoon. She said that even my father did that, and it was good that I always look for time to clear my mind.  
But that conversation my father was having with Kamiya was clouding everything up again. A Hokage ninja was trained to believe in intuition and dreams, but at the same time be rational. Intuition told me that they were talking about me, and on the rational side, the glances and the cold treatment I received.  
"Let's wait for your father," Okaasama said. "He is still talking with Kamiya-san."  
"What are they talking about?" I asked. Okaasama returned to me a strange look, and said, "I don't know."  
She knew what it was, but she wasn't going to tell me, anyway.  
A few more mimutes passed, and my father entered the house with a grim look on his face. We ate dinner quietly without our usual conversation, then went to bed.  
=============  
My mother told me about the day I was born. Otousama was busily monitoring the plantations outside when Kamiya-san brought him the news of my birth. My father, tripping with rush and excitement, came in, and named me Recca, saying that the flame raged inside me, the meaning of my incessant cries.  
That was what I knew about my birth. But I heard that my father had another wife named Reina, who gave birth to another son, four years my senior.   
On my second night, Reina paid a visit to me and my mother. She said that her son, named Kurei, was to be the next leader, and if my mother had any hopes of having me as the next one, she was wrong. She then presented a gift of skulls, which was like horrible omen upon me. My father came in and saw this, scolded Reina for her arrogant behavior and told them to leave.  
On my seventh night, my hand started to glow with a tiny orange flame, the mark of the next Hokage leader. It was a terrible event to have two flamecasters in a generation, and one of them must be killed. My mother shuddered in terror.  
But before my father can inform the elders of the village about this, it had been reported that Kurei had died of a rare and sudden disease which had infected him after their visit to us.  
Those were only rumors I heard when I was around six years of age. I asked my father if they were real. He told me that it was neither true nor false. After he gave me that answer I went off and sat in a corner, feeling guilty that somehow, Kurei's death was caused by mt birth. And with that guilt, a dream came to me every night, a nightmare of an older brother dying came to me. His face was always clouded, but it was obviously in misery. When my training began after my seventh birthday, the nightmare disappeared.   
My early childhood days included playing and fishing with my closest friends, Suzume, the daughter of Kamiya-san, and Tetsu, descendant of the sixteenth flamecaster, Nadare. We usually challenge each other with petty combat and I always end up as the winner. Suzume was close behind, and she almost defeated me once.   
We grew up into adolescence, though not as close as we used to be, going under training for the future. I, to be trained as the future leader, Tetsu, as my right-hand, while Suzume, with the ways of a woman, and possibly, to be my future wife, something that I always objected to.   
Suzume was the last person I'd think to be female. She acts like a man, and usually, bullies males even older and larger than herself. A butch. It was also unusual for a female to master three madougu and be higly adept with it: the Fuujin, the Onitsume, and the Shinryou Shintou. I have a feeling that Suzume was under pressure to prove herself worthy yo be my wife, for she always said that if she defeated me in fair combat, I will have to chose her as the bearer of the next one in line. She never did, but my father and the other leaders have their eye on her.  
On the other hand, Tetsu is an ideal warrior, although his mind does not prove as useful as his power. His size towers over the rest of us, and shows more brawn than brain. With this characteristic, it is unlikely for Tetsu to be chosen as the next right-hand, but they say that his family line gives him great potential to have more brains. He is adept with two madougu, the Kuchibashi and the Tetsugan. He also uses the Doseinawa, but it rarely lends its powers to Tetsu.  
But truly, I was never that close to anyone. My two greatest friends also wanted to be my two greatest rivals. I am more of a solitary person, with my next move usually unpredicted. Sure, I played with Suzume and Tetsu, and shared a part of my current life with them, but my inner self was always hidden. They all knew a brawny, and impulsive, but cunning Recca, but never the thinker.  
And beyond my deepest dreams, there lay a vision of a lost brother, whose face is always clouded with mystery...  
  
~Tsuzuku de gozaru yo~  



	2. Ni Hen - Kaze no Kodomo

My name is Suzume. I am sixteen years of age.   
That is all I can say about myself. No, that is all I want to say about myself. Whatever else is to be said of me, I don't like it.   
I am the second child of one of the most honored men in the village, Kamiya, the present leader's right-hand man. My older brother, Ichiro, is an aspiring blacksmith who had made around two or three madougu, including the Tomoshibi, which gives off light. Unlike other madougu, it couldn't be used for combat but is very useful to everyday living, although the elders didn't consider it as very important.  
Something I can boast of, though, is that I am one of the few Hokage who is adept at more than one madougu, three in fact. I am also quite a skilled fighter--- skilled for someone to belong in this clan. I've defeated every single man who came to challenge me, except for one. He is Recca, the next leader of our clan.  
My parents were quite annoyed by the reputation I've made for myself at first. It wasn't good for the right-hand man to have a daughter who acts like a man. Later on, it proved useful when my father found out that I was the leading candidate to be the wife of Recca the moment he gets to the position of leader.  
The criteria needed a strong woman, like me.  
I didn't want that to happen. Of course, besides being rivals, Recca and I were also good friends. During our younger days, we would go fishing and have a little fight to see who's the better ninja, along with Tetsu. When we grew older, I became more serious about these fights, to show that I was not some weak female that they can push around to marry someone.   
But there was always the pressure of my parents. They wanted us to remain a reputable and influential family in the village. Ichiro didn't make such a good mark, for the elders always brand the madougu he makes as 'household tools' rather than weapons. I think he's a brilliant person, but my parents agree with the elders. Therefore, they expect me to bring the family name to the history of the Hokage by being the wife of my idiotic childhood rival.  
By the time I was fourteen, suitors came, but I usually don't like most of them, especially Tetsu, who from a childhood friend, became an annoying courtier. I thought of a brilliant idea to get rid of all of them. I challenged each one of them to a fight. Whoever wins against me will be my future husband. My father disliked the idea, saying that I wouldn't find a real man by judging how strong he is. A real man wouldn't dare raise his hands over a woman.  
The feminist side of me was starting to grow drastically. Everyday, I will complain to my mother why females are thought to be weak beings, and not seen as equals of men. She answered that it's just the way of life and I should just prepare for the coming tasks that woman is to have.  
One late afternoon, I was able to take a break from the cooking lessons my mother was giving me. I went outside to take a bretah some cool air. I saw Recca waitng outside.  
"Oi, Recca," I called. "What are you doing there?"  
"Nothing really. You doing anything?"  
"Naah, I'm taking a break. Staying all day in the kitchen gives me headaches."  
"Let's go to the river."  
"Sure."  
We sat by the side of it. That day, Recca was unusually quiet. We never really talked about serious stuff. Usually, we talk about what boys like. For example, the latest madougu, or the latest fight in the village. I get easily bored talking about who are the most handsome men and clothes and stuff. But this time didn't seem to be any of those.  
"Otousama and Kamiya-san were talking last night," he began.  
"That wouldn't be unusual," I said. "It's ordinary that they talk to each other, I mean, they're close friends, and, my father serves Ohka-sama."  
"I don't know, they didn't tell me about it. Okaasama seems to know something but she's hiding it from me."  
"Maybe it's a surprise. Like a gift or something."  
"They were serious, Suzume."  
"You really shouldn't worry much. We may not be kids but we still ain't adults, either. It's only for adults' ears, I guess."  
"But they keep on treating me like I'm a kid, like a weak being."  
I shuddered with Recca's statement. That as how I exactly feel. I felty like being treated as a weak female who couldn't stand on her own two feet. I clenched my fists. Recca noticed the sudden change in my mood.  
"Anything wrong, Suzume?"  
I shook my head, then waited for a while. After a few moments, I aksed him a question I wanted to ask everyone.  
"Recca, do you think I'm weak?"  
He looked quite shocked when I asked him the question. I gave him a serious look. Afetr that he shook his head.  
"No, I think you're a strong person," he said. "And I'm not saying that to tease you about your femininity. I'm just telling what I think."  
"And I also think that you're mentally strong. I'd rather have you as a right-hand than a wife."  
"And have Tetsu as your spouse?" I joked.  
Recca pouted, just like a kid. "Don't think taht. I like a girl who is gentle, soft, kind, a good cook, dresses and fixes herself nicely, someone like the oppposite of you..."  
"That's good," I replied. "I don't think I like any kind of man. I hate most men for thinkig of females as weak."  
We ended the conversation when Okaasan called me inside. I left him there without saying a word.  
=============  
The next day, my mother told me to prepare for my the arrival of my father's close friend next week, along with his son. They were also Hokage ninjas but had been out of the village for quite some time since Ohka-sama assigned them as diplomats to other places. I could only dream of travelling so far. I thought that these people were quite lucky to enjoy such thrill in their lives.  
I became busy again. My mother polished once more my lessons in proper obeisance and courteousness, something that _men_ never have to do. I felt really lame that week, and spent most of my free time daydreaming about what these people were like after having most of their lives travelling as diplomats.  
The week passed...  
"THEY'RE HERE!" the man who rang the signal shouted. Men and their sons were to welcome them in Ohka-sama's compound. Mothers and daughters were to stay inside their homes, even if I itched to see the commotion. I was becoming clumsy with all the excitement, tripping over my own feet.  
"Suzume, be careful," my mother warned me.  
I sat down, rolled up my sleeves a bit, then felt around my right arm. I felt something missing: my madougu, the Fuujin. My mother annoyingly made me remove it saying that they should show the guests a daughter, not a son.  
"They're finished with the ceremony. They'll arrive here any minute now," announced my mother while stirring the miso soup before readying it for serving. "Prepare them some o-cha."  
I obeyed her and went to the other side of the kichen. As I looked around I heard the front entrance open, revealing the arrival of the visitors. I heard their voices from there.  
"Kamiya-san, you have kept a good house."  
My father gave a laugh. "It's really nothing. Come inside."  
I hurried with preparing the o-cha. My mom went ahead to serve the miso soup.  
When I entered the dining room with the tray of o-cha [barely paying the proper obeiscance], all of them were seated around the low table, talking. There were two newcomers, one older and one younger. I took notice of the younger man a few years my senior with blue-violet hair. A band was tied around his forehead and a katana hung at his back. I stared at him while serving the o-cha.  
Okaasan gave me a nudge when she noticed me staring at him. It was disrespectful to stare, for proper inroductions will be made later on, much to my impatience.  
I sat at my place beside Ichiro, and waited to be introduced.  
My father cleared his throat. "This is Suzume, my daughter. Only sixteen years of age, but she's already adept at controlling three madougu."  
I bowed my head accoring to obeiscance. "It is a pleasure to meet you sirs." They nodded in return  
The older one of the visitors smiled. "I am Jubei, a close friend of your father's, while this is my son, Raishin."  
Raishin bowed his head at me, then I felt strange. There was something about him. I wasn't sure whether I totally disiked that 'something', though.   
After that meeting with the man named Raishin, my life never became the same again. They stayed longer than I thought they would, which I denied that I liked. Everyday, Raishin and his father would talk to Oyaji-san and Ichiro, dicussing matters about wars, alliances, and all kinds of politics, something men were interested in, but I never was. I always watched behind their backs, trying to get a glimpse.   
Before I knew it, feminine feelings were starting to arise and I was falling for him.  
My mother noticed my nose constantly sticking out. They were talking in the gardens while I was peeping through a narrow opening in the paper doors.  
"Suzume, don't tell me you like that man."  
I gave her a fake look of surprise. "What are you talking about, Okaasan?"  
"That man, Raishin. You have an eye for him, haven't you?"  
I blushed and stammered. "Okaasan!"  
"Don't even think about it," my mother said firmly. "You're not getting married to such a man. Even if I can't name a man who is more honorable than Jubei-dono, his son, Raishin, is the result of his carelessness with a peasant woman from Nara."  
"What's wrong with that, Okaasan?" I asked. "I don't think that it will affect a person's ways."  
"I just don't like the boy, that's all. He looks like a nice person but something tells me that he's not be trusted."  
After my mother gave out those words, Raishin entered the house.  
"Konnichiwa, Hana-san, Suzume-san," he said, bowing his head.  
We bowed back in respect. My mother then raised her head and asked, "May we help you, Raishin-kun?"  
Raishin shook his head. "I just hoped that Suzume-san will kindly give me a tour around the village. Kamiya-dono said that I can ask her."  
I saw the obvious change in my mother's expression at that request. She disproved of him. I, on the other hand, didn't know if I should be glad of this opportunity or not.  
I bowed my head, and said that I will go, despite of my mother's objection. "Please wait for me as I change my clothes."  
We left the house with the smiles of my father, my brother and Jubei-san. My mother stayed inside.  
"I want to see the river, please," he asked me politely as he gently pulled me near him. It was required that women walk behind the men, symoblizing feminine inferiority. He neared his face to mine and said, "Suzume-san, it would be quite impossible to lead the way by walking behind. I want you to stay beside me."  
I blushed. Even wives were not allowed to do that. He was breaking the rules, but I was glad that he thought women as an equal of men.  
I was really starting to like him.  
I saw Tetsu with some of his friends by the corner. He eyed Raishin with anger. I tried to pretend that I didn't see him and kept my head down in the process.  
When we reached the river, he took off by himself and knelt by its side. He scooped out some water and washed his face, getting his clothes wet.  
I wondered at what he was trying to do, but I stayed behind.  
"Come here," he told me, while signalling with his hand. I obeyed.  
"Closer," he ordered me gently. He kept on asking me to get closer until our faces were only a few inches away from each other. He placed his mouth near my ear. My heart pounded quickly. My hands started to get clammy as cold sweat broke from my forehead.  
What's he going to tell me? What does he want? For the one week he had stayed in our house, this will be the first time we'd be actually talking. For the first time, my feelings of resentment towards men, [I don't feel that resentful towards him very muchm though] slowly disappeared. I felt weak and vulnerable.  
He opened is mouth.  
"I'll kill you."  
My body froze.   
  
~Tsuzuku de gozaru yo~  



	3. San Hen - Ishi no Te

The Untitled Past [3/?]  
San Hen - Ishi no Te  
My strength is my greatest asset. People say that it's my _only_ asset. They say I am brawn without brains, that my head contains nothing at all.  
Well, that's what most of them say.  
I don't think that. I strongly object that I'm a brainless fool. People can be so judgmental in thinking who I am. I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I'm not the dumbest either.  
My name is Tetsu, sixteen years of age, a part of the Hokage Ninja clan. All I can say about myself is that I am powerful, physically. I have to admit that I am not that smart, always getting punished back in my childhood days for making mistakes in my academics. My mother would always ungraciously hit me on the head for a badly-written kanji of my name.  
My name means iron. My body, and my strength is of iron. I am famous around people my age for being one of the three strongest youngsters in the village, with my childhood friends Recca and Suzume taking the first and second spots, respectively.  
I don't think my life is bad. I don't think I'm having any real problems except that people keep on thinking of me as a dumb-ass moron who can't live without my fist. They all think I'm just your usual bully, but no, I actually have a soft spots, and I use my brain, too, not all brawn.  
Unusual for men, especially for someone like me, I have this soft spot for flowers. I don't know why. It might sound feminine and all but I had been secretly attracted to them ever since my childhood days.  
If they found this secret of mine out, my family will be greatly disgraced. My father, although deceased [dying in a war] is considered as one of the greatest warriors in Hokage history. One of my ancestors is the 16th leader of the Hokage, Nadare.  
For my future, they are trying to implant me into the one of the highest positions in the village, as the future leader's adviser.  
Recca would be the future leader of the Hokage. He's a childhood friend of mine. Half the time, he's a great companion, and during the other half, he's as annoying as a chimp and can really piss you off.  
He wins most of the challenges he receives from the other kids, beside the fact that he's the son of the leader. During our adolescent years, Recca started to have a following of girls brooding over his looks and charm. But he isn't all that perfect. I'll tell you of an instance.  
We were thirteen years old then, more foolish than wise. Recca and I were having another fight. I was already losing.  
"So, Tetsu, are you ready to give up?" Recca asked me with a snicker.  
"Never!" I shouted. My knees shook as they got off the ground. I held on to my fists. "You're just a chimp, there's no way you'll win against me..."  
"Um, Tetsu? You never won against me, right?" he teased, pretending to be innocent.  
That fumed my anger. I stood up and tried to give him another punch which he efortlessly avoided.  
"Slow, slow," he murmured.  
On the sides, Suzume watched us fight. She seemed to be agreeing with Recca.  
I went for another punch. It annoyed me that I was using my full power while Recca barely used any of his, and I was having a hard time defeating him.   
While diving in for the hit, Recca took one step aside giving me a nice kiss with the ground. When Suzume saw this, she stood up, as if to walk away.  
"Oi, Suzume! Leaving already?" Recca asked while mercilessly rubbing his foot on my head.  
"If you'll ask me, it's a boring fight to watch. I'm going home."  
That was it, my inspiration to fight was going away.  
"No, Suzume! Wait!" I shouted, but Recca kept his foot on me.  
"Sorry, Tetsu," Recca jokingly said when Suzume left. He knew that I liked Suzume a lot, and Recca agreed to have thse fights to help me impress her. The only condition was that Recca won't lose to me on purpose, but have a real fight. It wasn't helping me at all to touch her heart, in fact, it was making things worse.  
"You promised me that you'll do everything in your power to have Suzume like me!" I angrily told him when he got his foot off my head.  
"I am helping you," Recca said. "You're the one who's making things worse because you won't let her see a good fight. You really don't have to win, just give me a difficult time, okay?"  
"Just pretend that you're almost losing, please..." I tried to give him a sad, puppy look.  
Recca shook his head. "No way, Tetsu. I have a reputation to keep."  
"Then how are you supposed to help me that way?" I asked him.  
"I don't know. This was your idea in the first place. I told you it wouldn't work 'cause she can give me a better fight than you ever could."  
He was starting to get on my nerves. At the back of my mind, there was always this idea that Suzume liked Recca that's why she had been ignoring my feelings. Recca, on the other hand, shows no affection for any woman, except for his mother, of course, and the older girls who have more matured bodies.  
Believe it or not, even the son of a Hokage leader is impetuous to perversion.  
I thought for a better deal to get Recca give more effort in helping me. My eyes brightened when an idea came to me.  
Recca noticed the change in my gloomy face. "What now?"   
"I'm chaallenging you, Recca!"  
"A fight again?"  
"No."  
"Well, what is it?" he asked anxiously. Recca was the type of person who enjoyed challenges the most, especially if the reward is very satisfying.  
I signalled him to get nearer, and he did.  
"Closer, closer," I said.  
I placed my mouth by his ear and whispered it to him. "You must kiss a girl within a week. This challenge excludes your mother and the like, of course."  
Recca got his ear away from me and hit me on the head. "Idiot! Why will I do that? You know that Otousama has his eye on me. He prohibits me from getting with girls my age for some strange reason. I'll be severely punished if he finds me out. And the fact that I did it for a bet..."  
"If you live up to the challenge, then I'll be your personal slave for a month."  
Recca's expression of anger weakened a bit. "You mean..."  
"You can do whatever you want with me," I smiled. Recca longed to have a personal servant. "And I'll quit bugging you about setting me up with Suzume."  
His face was slowly going back to normal, but a doubtful face showed up again. "What's the catch?"  
"YOU will be MY personal slave if you don't live up to the challenge," I said as scarily as possible.  
Recca cupped his chin with his hands. There was almost the feeling that he wouldn't even accept the challenge. I thought of something quickly.  
"Why, great Recca, haven't got the guts to kiss a giiirrll?"  
His face started to redden.  
"I'm Recca!" I mimicked, imitating his shrill voice. "I'm a strong fighter, but unfortuantely, I'm homosexual and I don't want to kiss giiiiiirrrrrrrrrllllsss. I want to kiss guuuuyyyyyssss instead."  
Yes, I was easy to provoke, but so was he. I laughed inside. "I wonder how the others will react if they heard about that," I wondered aloud.  
"Stop that!" Recca shouted. "It's useless, since it ain't true."  
"Well they're probably wondering why most guys have an eye for girls while you..."  
"Women are not to be minded by someone like me!" He was starting to get terribly angry.  
"Really? Well, everyone wants to see a weaker side of you, and they'll do everything for that, even spreading such rumors. And there's always the chance of NOT getting caught."  
We were left there standing. Finally he gave in. "Okay, fine! I take it."  
"Good," I said. "Revenge is mine."  
================  
I kept a good eye on Recca during the next week. During the first three days, he seemed idle, doing his usual stuff. Taking lessons, accepting duels and winning them, and fishing. On the fourth day, I saw him approach a girl named Tsubame.  
Tsubame was a year younger than us, and she was the silent but kind and gentle type. She looks like an ordinary girl, and indeed , she looks plain enough to be mistaken for any peasant. She wasn't adept at using any kind of madougu but had the potential to be an excellent housewife. But looks and physical ability can be deceiving. Her family, although not a part of the Hokage politcs, owns the largest rice field and can afford any kind of dowry. They can influence anyone with their cold hard cash, but were really nice people and they try to help anyone who deserves it.  
It was late morning. She was sitting in their garden when I saw Recca call her from the gate.  
"Ohayou, Tsubame-chan!"  
Tsubame looked up from her current activity then blushed when she saw Recca. "Recca-sama," she said his name. She flustered, trying to get the right words and actions. Finally, she bowed her head and said, "Ohayou, Recca-sama. May I help you?"  
Recca rubbed his nose and gave a naughty smile. "Not really, I just want to talk with you, privately."  
"Huh? Why?" she asked, blushing even more. It was obvious that she was one of those Recca fans.  
"I just want to talk with you. Is that alright?" I heard Recca intentionally soften his voice, ready to lure any unsuspecting female into his hands.   
Tsubame looked a little doubtful. "Well, Recca-sama..."  
"It's gonna be okay. We'll just be talking."  
"Did I do anything bad?"  
"No," Recca said. He was new to all this business, but he was doing a great job at it.  
They went out, and Recca started to chat with her like she was an old friend. Tsubame seemed to be enjoying all the attention she was gettting from her crush.  
During the next two days, this went on. Recca's actions seemed to be confident. His father and mother didn't seem to doubt him or anything. I was afraid that he'd win this, bu I couldn't do anything about it.  
By the sixth day they were starting to hold hands. My jaw dropped, when I first saw this. Then I felt a fist hit my head.  
"Ouch! Who was that?" I demanded angrily. I realized that it was Suzume.  
"What are YOU and THEY doing?" she pointed her nose towards Recca and Tsubame.  
Recca and I had sworn secrecy about this bet. If I tell Suzume now, my body would, sooner or later, be badly mangled by both or either of them.  
"Nothing," I said as innocently as possible. Suzume glared at me then grabbed me by the ear. The next thing I knew, we were near the outskirts of the village.  
She grabbed me by the collar of my kimono and gave me hard punch on the face. "What did I see just a while ago?"  
"Suzume, it's nothing," I said.  
Suzume raised her knee and hit me at the abdomen, then hit my nape with her elbow. After that she let go of me by tossing me to the ground. Then she approached me and stepped her right foot over my chest before I could even try to stand up.  
"What was it?" she asked me again.  
"It's really nothing, please," I pleaded.  
She kicked me at my sides, then sat on top of me. After that she gave me dozens of consecutive punches, all hard and painful.  
I wondered back then why she wanted to find out. Was it because she was jealous? I pained to think of such a reason, that's why I asked her.  
"Why do you want to find out, anyway?" I asked in between punches.  
"I know Recca, he's not going with a girl and break his father's rules without a dirty reason," she answered me coldly.  
"He likes the girl, okay?"  
"If he likes Tsubame-chan, then he would have told his father. I can tell that he's with that girl because of some bet and you know something about it."  
I relaxed myself. Good old Suzume, smart as usual. She realized that my surrender meant that she was right. She gave me another cold, hard punch.  
"What was that for?" I demanded angrily.  
"Tell me more," she said. I tried to escape, but, quickly and skillfully, she took out a kunai* from behind her obi and pointed it at my neck.  
I resigned and told her everything. Her eyes narrowed after I finished and muttered, "Abusive males." After that she grabbed me by the collar again and punched me on the abdomen, knocking me unconscious.  
The next thing i knew was that I was at home in my bed. Later on, I heard that Suzume told Ohka-sama everything and then caught Recca a few moments before he can make the kiss. The next day, Ohka-sama summoned the two of us to the council.  
I was scared to have the whole tribal council judge us for our punishment. But when I arrived there with my father, only Recca and Ohka-sama were waiting for us. My father glared at me for bringing him dishonor with such a childsh and immature prank.  
Ohka-sama smiled at my father and asked him to leave. When only the three of us were left, he cleared his throat and began a long lecture.  
First, he gave us a lecture on the tight position Recca and I were in regarding women, saying that since we belong to influential families, we were supposed to act honorably and women are to be dealt with later in life. All of them sounded gibberish to both of us. Ohka-sama noticed our boredom.  
"I can see that the two of you are not at all interested," he said, rubbing his chin.  
Recca gave him a fake, nervous smile. "No, we're listening, Otousama."  
Ohka-sama hit Recca on the head. "I guess the best way to teach you a lesson is to give the the two of you some punishment."  
Both of our jaws dropped.  
"Well, I wouldn't have given you a punishment if you were listening caarefully." He cleared his throat. "Anywhow, since you made this on a deal of being personal servants, your punishment will be to serve me as my personal slaves for the whole of next week."  
"Otousama!" Recca objected.  
Ohka-sama ignored him. "And you, Tetsu, cannot see Suzume during that week. While you, Recca, will help your Okaasama in the kitchen while you're not attending to my commands as my personal slave."  
Recca angrily stood up "But, Otousama..." he said, but decided that to complain furthermore was futile.  
We got through that week of terror, and learned our lessons.  
=========  
I was talking to Hideki, a friend of mine, when I saw Suzume walking beside Raishin, a newcomer to our village. It was against the rules for a woman to actually walk _beside_ the man, unless they're married. (which is even awkward to look at)   
"Oiya, Suzume-chan's grabbing that new guy."  
I think I almost heard myself growl just like a dog. There was something peculiar about that man.  
"So, what will you do now, Tetsu?" Hideki teased. "Suzume's got another man."  
"Shut up," I told him. "I'm gonna follow them."  
"Gosh, you're really insecure," Hideki remarked as I left.  
They didn't seem to notice me as I silently prowled after them. When I realized the direction they were heading to, I knew they were going to the river, a quiet and secluded place in the village which actually leads to a waterfall. I almost lost track of them when Recca greeted me.  
"Konbanwa, Tetsu!" he greeted while carrying a basket of vegetables. Recca liked to volunteer for such tasks for no apparent reason.  
I snarled at him and he gave me the expected puzzled look. When I went back to my prey, they were gone. It was a good thing that I had a hunch that their destination was the river. I ran towards there.  
The scene that unfolded before me was Raishin whispering something to Suzume. On the other hand, Suzume's face was filled with terror. There was something wrong here, terribly wrong.  
"Hey, you, Raishin!" I angrily called. "What are you doing to Suzume?"  
Both of them looked at me. Raishin had a face of annoyance, while Suzume seemed that she couldn't get any happier.  
"Tetsu!" she exclaimed my name.  
"What are you doing here?" Raishin asked angrily.  
"I think that's supposed to be my question," I answered.  
I heard him curse. After that, I saw him suddenly disappear, then appeared behind me. I felt pain stab through my body, leaving it badly perforated. The world I see started to spin and darken.  
"NOOOO!!!!" I heard Suzume scream  
After that I ferlt another stab, then I toltally blacked out...  
  
~Tsuzuku de gozaru yo~  
=============================================================  
*Kunai- for those who don't know, this is the the ninja weapon Misao Makimachi of Rurouni Kenshin uses. I think Fuuko's knives/needles were derived from this one, because they are used the same way, which is being thrown/hurled at the enemy.  



	4. Shi Hen - The Darkness Approaching

~Notes: This part will deviate from the first three ones in terms of point of view. I'll be using the third-person pov when the chapter focuses mainly on the plot and the first person pov when i'm introducing a new character... I will also use English titles for these particular chapters.  
This part is quite short, that's why chapter 5 comes along with it right away. Arigatou gozaimasu.~  
==================================================================  
The Untitled Past 4  
Shi Hen - The Darkness Approaching...  
Recca wondered why Tetsu was such in a hurry. It would be quite unusual since Tetsu won't leave him like that without leaving a nasty remark or two.   
|Something's not right,| he thought. He entered the house and left the basket of vegetables on the floor. His mother, Kagerou, smiled at him.  
"You're being helpful today, Recca," she remarked.  
Recca smiled back, then turned serious. "Um, Okaasama, can I go out for a second?" he asked.  
Kagerou nodded. "You've worked hard enough. You can have your time now."  
Recca wiped the sweat from his forehead and went out. He thought for a while on where Tetsu could have gone out to. The plaza was a possible place, since Tetsu was going towards that direction and many beautiful women of the village spent their free time there. If not, it could have been the river, but what could be a good reason to go there? Recca then decided to go for the plaza.  
He was greeted by Jubei, Kamiya and Ichiro as he walked.  
"Konbanwa, Recca-kun," Jubei greeted.  
"Konbanwa, minna-san" he greeted back. Ever since these guests arrived, they had been touring the village with Kamiya and his son Ichiro. He thought that someone was missing, and he was right. It was Raishin, Jubei's son.  
"Where's Raishin?" Recca asked. It was strange for him to ask about such things, probably the reason for the strange look Kamiya gave him. Ichiro answered him, anyway.  
"Raishin is with my sister, Suzume. He asked her to take him around the village."  
Recca nodded, then proceeded twith his search. Unfortunately, Tetsu wasn't anywhere in the plaza. He looked around.   
Suddenly, he felt a stab through his body. He looked and there was no one who could have probaly stabbed him. There was no blood anywhere. It was just the pain that came through him.  
|Tetsu!| he thought. |He must be in trouble.| Recca thought for a while, then decided to head for the river.  
===========  
Suzume screamed. "Tetsu!"  
Raishin pulled his katana which was stabbed through his victim's body. He slowly approached the girl, ready to strike at her.  
Suzume prepared her kunai and went into a fighting stance. "I don't understand why you're doing this, but I'm sure to avenge Tetsu."  
He gave a sly smile, and continued to approach.   
Tetsu, on the other hand, tried to stand up. He managed to gain consciousness only a few seconds after being stabbed. His vision was a little clouded, but he can see that Raishin was approaching Suzume, with his katana unsheathed.  
"Suzume, be careful!" Tetsu shouted. Suzume heard him, and she was glad that he was still alive. Raishin flashed a look of annoyance at him.  
"You're still alive?" he asked.  
Tetsu was aready on his knees, quickly recovering from the previous stabs.   
Raishin's eyes narrowed, then raised his right arm. Suzume felt a strong aura starting to build around her opponent. His long hair was starting to be blown away.  
Tetsu watched in amazement and at the same time, wonder. |What's he going to do now?|  
The sky started to darken...  
==========  
Recca noticed the clouds getting darker by the second. He increased his pace. If only he could know about his friend's present situation, then he wouldn't be worried like this.  
Lightning flashed form the sky, then he heard the thunder clap. It seemed to have hit something, something very near the river...  
==========  
"It's gonna pour hard," Hideki, another close friend of Ohka's remarked.  
Ohka nodded. It was unusual for this time of the year to have such strong rains. He remembered a madougu which can cause such a phenomenon, the Raijin. but a few years ago, it had been thrown into the sea since nobody was able to wield it and only caused trouble to those who died trying to control its angry power.   
He wondered whether it was really rain, or something else.   
|Be careful, Recca.| he thought.  
============  
Recca ran towards the river as fast as he could. When he finally arrived, he saw Tetsu, lying unconscious, and possibly dead, on the ground. Suzume was there, too, with her kunai but she looked like she saw a ghost. Raishin was with them, too, and he was just putting his arm down when Recca arrived. They didn't seem to see him.  
Raishin approached Suzume and she held her kunai tighly. He continued to walk towards her and then raised his katana.  
Recca drew in his breath. He wanted so much to stop the man from whatever he was going to do, but he was too curious to see what Raishin's intention was.  
He waved his katana and before Suzume knew it, the kunai were gone from her hands. She was about to reach for more when Raishin suddenly grabed her body and held it close against his.  
"What are you trying to do?!" Suzume asked angrily.  
He held his face near hers. Very near that Suzume seemed to have felt her heartbeat stop.   
"I think you're a very strong woman, and killing you would be the last thing I want to do. But I have a job to finish, and fate wills me to finish you, but not now.." After that he pressed his lips against Suzume's then gave her a deep kiss.  
Suzume didn't know what to do. All she felt was that time stopped. Everything was starting to darken, then light seemed to have surrounded her. All the things started to disappear...  
Tiny drops of rain started to fall on the ground.  
"Suzume!" she heard a familiar voice shout. Everything faded back in.  
Raishin broke the kiss, and turned his gaze towards Recca. "It seems we have a visitor."  
Suzume realized the situation she was in and tried to break free from Raishin's hold. His gaze turned back to her. His eyes narrowed once more.  
"It's sad to part, but I'm sure we'll see each other again." With that statement made, he gave Suzume a punch on the abdomen, knocking her unconscious. Her body fell limp on the ground.  
Recca watched in shock. |What does he want?|  
This time, Raishin focused his attention to Recca, and knelt, then bowed his head. The rain started to pour down, wetting Recca.  
"Greetings, Recca-sama. I am here to deliver you a message from my master."  
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Recca asked angrily. "And who's your master?"  
Raishin seemed to ignore him and said. "I wish you well, my dear brother..."  
Recca's heart froze.  
"...Before you die a wretched death."  
"Kurei."  
With that, Raishin vanished into the rain. Recca remained standing in the rain, letting it wash over his body. He had never been so shocked before in his life. Questions started to rise in his mind. He knew of only one Kurei, his rumoured older brother. He knew that he died of a rare and sudden disease at the age of four. It was impossible that he was still alive. But could there be any other Kurei?  
The rain grew stronger, and once again, the vision of a lost boy, crying appeared. But this time, the face wasn't clouded. Although Recca couldn't thoroughly picture his features in his mind. All he can recognize were coldness, sorrow, hatred and anger.   
A shiver ran down his spine, then the vision disappeared.  
  
~Tsuzuku de gozaru yo~  
=============================================================  



	5. Go Hen - Hyoumon Onna

The Untitled Past 5  
Go Hen - Hyoumon Onna  
The downpour was strong as I viewed it from my hut near the outskirts of the Hokage village. The dark sky brightened with every strike of lightning that came and broke the monotonous sound of fallling water when it's sister, Thunder arrives.  
I really don't want to remember my life. For me, it seems like a heavy punishment bestowed for not doing anything at all. The seventeen years that have passed seem to be nothing but pain and sorrow.  
My name is Mizuko. It may seem strange for a young woman like me to live in a flimsy hut away from the village. A regular woman of my age would be accepting suitors right now, and learning the ways of the female. But I was made to be different. The events of the past are always within my heart, causing me to distance myself from other people, to avenge the angry soul within me.  
My mother died after giving birth to me. I was left under the care of my father and my older sister, Miyuki, seven years my senior. I remember her as always being sickly and frail, but I love her very deeply and I miss her now.  
Our father died in war, defeding the village when I was three years of age. He left us the Ensnui the madougu which can control water. Our uncle, Eiji, took us in.  
He was my father's younger brother, and like him, he was adept at using the Ensui. The first few years seemed fine, but when my young eyes slowly opened to see the world, I realized that things aren't all that happy and nice.  
Every night I would hear moans from my Uncle Eiji's room. They sounded like Miyuki, crying for help, as if she were in great pain. I wanted to see what was going on but Uncle Eiji strictly told me that I should stay in my room every night.  
In the morning, I would ask Miyuki. "Oneechan, what happened last night?"  
Uncle Eiji would glare at Miyuki and she will just shake her head. This went on, and life became an everyday cycle. I would wake up, eat breakfast, take a bath, then play with Miyuki. I never played with the other kids, since I only wanted to be with my sister. I felt that I should protect her since she was so weak.  
Then the sounds during night. The cycle went unbroken, except that Miyuki seemed to get weaker everyday.  
Uncle Eiji started training me to use the Ensui at age seven. He said that female fighters would bring pride and honor to our family. He said that Miyuki should have been the one to inherit it, but she was too weak to become a warrior.  
I quickly mastered it with barely any problems. It took me only four years to finish my training. Uncle Eiji would usually bring boys form the village and I defeated them all. He beamed with pride. On the sidelines, Miyuki's health continued to waver.  
One night, I was sitting in my room, getting ready to sleep. I was lying on my futon, looking at the Ensui, and wondering how I could have possibly mastered it. Then, I heard the whimpers from my Uncle's room again.  
I haven't noticed those whimpers for quite some time already, since I was too tired after every training session. Forgetting my Uncle's strict reminder to stay in my room at night, I silently crept through the halls.  
As I got nearer, questions started to rise in my mind. They were answered when I finally arrived at the door.  
My body froze. I could hear Miyuki's cries for help, and that she was in pain. All these years, Uncle Eiji and Miyuki hid secrets from me. I thought everything was fine, and Miyuki's disease was natural. But then, I realized that her situation was worsening because of the person I trusted to take care of the both of us.  
It took me some time to recover from the shock, then anger took over. I took out the Ensui from my obi and I sliced the paper door open.  
I could barely look at the scene that unfolded before me.  
"Mizuko..." Eiji snarled.  
There, Miyuki layed naked, and barely breathing.  
"What's the meaning of this?!" I asked angrily. "Miyuki! What's this? Tell me!"  
Of course I knew what was going on, but my anger merged with confusion. Why was Eiji doing this? Why didn't Miyuki tell me?  
Eiji gave me a sly amile. "Well, Mizu-chan, what do do you think?"  
I couldn't think straight. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"  
I rushed towards him with the Ensui above my head. When I striked him, he held the water sword with the tip of his fingers. I tried to release the sword form his grip, but amazingly, he kept his hold without any difficulty.  
"I was the one who taught you, Mizuko. Don't expect to defeat your master that easily."  
"Let go of me, you fool!" I cried as I struggled to relase the sword, but before I knew it, he gave me a punch on the abdomen. I fell to the floor. Though conscious, I couldn't stand up with the pain his blow gave. The Ensui layed in front of me. If I could have reached it back then, the horrible events couldn't have happened.  
"Mi-mizuko," Miyuki said weakly.  
I tried my best to stand up, but all my efforts were futile. Uncle Eiji went back to Miyuki and continued the horrific activity. I wanted so much to stand up and stop him, but my body seemed to disobey me.   
My eyes were filled with tears of terror as I watched. Ironically, I wanted to cover them, but at the same time, I couldn't just leave my sister. My heart screamed in anger.  
Eiji saw me watching them. He laughed then walked towards me.   
"You blasted brat," he said then stepped his foot over my back. I screamed in pain. He did that for several times, then raised me by grabbing the collar of my kimono, then gave several but painful blows on the face. Lastly, he gave me a punch on the abdomen, finally knocking me unconscious. As the light faded, I heard Miyuki scream my name.  
When I awoke the next morning, rain was pouring down. My body was aching terribly and I could barely stand up. I looked around and realized that I was still in the same plce where Eiji knocked me the previous night. Miyuki was missing. Frantically, I called her name.  
"Oneechan?" I asked, softly at first. "Oneechan? Miyuki? Miyuki-oneechan? Miyuki!" I finally shouted. I saw the Ensui lying on the floor and grabbed it, then I quickly ran out of the room and looked for her in the other parts of the house. The kitchen, the dining room, her room, an finally, in my room.  
There she was, lying on my futon, with her body and clothes stained with blood. Of course he was unconscious.   
I quickly ran towards her and nestled her head in my arms as I shook her awake.  
"Oneechan! Oneechan!" I shouted. Tears fell again.  
A teradrop fell to her cheek. Slowly, she opened her eyes.  
My heart screamed with joy. She was alive. But it was only short-lived.  
"Mi...zu...ko..." she said slowly. She raised her hand to my cheek and touched it gently. "B...be...care...ful...I'll always...watch over...you..."  
"What are you talking about?" I asked frantically. "You'll live, come on!"  
She smiled at me.   
"Miyuki! Miyuki!"  
But she wouldn't move anymore, nor speak. There her smile remained as if it was carved on a piece of stone. She slowly became cold. I reached for her pulse, and found nothing.  
So cold...  
I found a note beside where I found her body. It was written with blood. I opened it and read:  
"Mizuko, you're the only one left. My vow is almost finished."  
I tried to understand the meaning of the note. Obviously, it was from Eiji. I knew that it meant something about killing me, but I wasn't afraid. I didn't care wheter I should live or die. There was nothing left worth living for.  
Except for vengeance. Ther was nothing else left.  
I burned her body, then threw the ashes down the river. The other villagers sympathized with me, but not even the heaviest of tears could remove the pain in my heart. They all invited me to stay in their houses, but I refused, thinking that I could trust no one. With that, I alienated myself and lived in an abandoned hut outside the village, and planted a small garden for my food. People were quite amazed with that, but I was glad that they knew better to let me be and leave me alone.  
Eiji disappeared. I vowed to kill him the moment I see him again.  
The hut never provided warmth for me during the winter, but I love the cold. It gives me some kind of comfort that helps me go on with my life, along with the desire to avenge my beloved sister, Miyuki.  
=====================  
The rain continued to pour down. Thunder clapped. It sounded so near that it seemed to have hit something by the river where I threw Miyuki's ashes in. So much for the past. I decided that this would be the perfect time to visit her.  
When I reached the river, I saw two bodies liying on the ground and a young male with black hair.  
|Black hair...| I thought to myself. The person reminded me of Eiji. Suddenly the desire of vengeance inside me rose again. This person _is_ Eiji. There could be no mistake about it.  
"Eiji!" I shouted at him.  
He turned towards me, with a face of fear and shock. I was mistaken, it wasn't Eiji. But emotions took over common sense. Perhaps Eiji was already dead, but yet...  
I rushed towards him as the water blade of the Ensui rose up. He remained there standing as if he saw a ghost.  
I pierced the sword through his abdomen. Nothing happened.  
"Eiji! You bastard!" I cursed as I pulled the sword out of him.  
He looked at me with eyes of void. "Ku-kurei..."  
Just then did I realize what I did. I let myself be carried away, that I stabbed the wrong person. Only the hairstyle was similar.   
"Shit!" I cursed. His body fell to the ground, unconscious. Blood flowed out of it like a flood.  
To my surprise, he stood up. I realized that he was Recca, the son of Ohka, the village leader. He looked so much like Eiji that I lost control of myself.   
I decided to make up for it by bringing he and the two others back to the village.   
|He couldn't have died with that,| I thought, then lifted his body. As for the two other bodies, I carried them, too. So much for charity...  
  
~Tsuzuku de gozaru yo~  
============================================================  



	6. Roku Hen - A Story Left Untold

The Untitled Past 6  
Roku Hen - A Story Left Untold  
Recca awoke. Everything seemed to rush in with a blur.  
|Kurei|  
He sat up from his futon and realized that he was back in his room. Pain came and he remembered that he had been stabbed by a woman after Raishin disappeared, thinking that he was some Eiji person.  
But it wasn't the time to worry about her. He had to know the truth about Kurei. He struggled to stand up and go to his parents.  
He found them in the dining room, talking with Kamiya.  
"Jubei suddenly disappeared along with his son," he said worriedly.  
Ohka nodded his head. He was worried about Recca. It could be possible...  
"Otousama!" he heard his son's voice say.  
"Recca!" his wife, Kagerou exclaimed. "You shouldn't be standing up yet." She rushed to Recca's side. "Here, I'll help you get abck to your room."  
"NO!" Recca shouted.   
"Let him be, Kagerou," Ohka said quietly. Come here and sit with us, Recca."  
Recca walked towards the low table and sat cross-legged on the floor, although with difficulty. Kagerou quickly gave him a glass of o-cha.  
They kept silent. Recca had so many questions in his mind that he didn't know which one to ask first.  
"Suzume and Tetsu are fine."  
"Huh?" Recca asked.  
"The young woman who brought you here, Mizuko, told me what happened to _you_. She cut her wrist in front of us to show remorse for what she had done."  
Recca nodded.  
"Raishin and Jubei have disappeared," Kamiya added.  
"We presume that you know something about what just happened Recca. Tetsu is still unconscious to say anything, while Suzume..."  
Kamiya shook his head.  
Ohka continued with his speech. "Suzume seems to be fine, physically, but lately she's been hiding in her room, trembling, and whispering Raishin's name. Tell me what you know, Recca."  
Recca paused for a while then told everything he knew, but halted when Kurei was about to be mentioned.  
"And Raishin, he said..." He stopped, then started to tremble.  
"What did he tell you?" Ohka asked.  
Recca narrowed his eyes.  
"Recca, tell us," Kagerou pleaded gently.  
"He said, that someone wishes me well before I die."  
Ohka looked at Recca seriously. "Who is that someone? Did he tell you?"  
He kept silent. For some reason, he was afraid to tell his parents about Kurei. Even at mentioning or thinking about his name, a shiver crept through Recca's spine.  
"Damnit, Recca, tell us," Ohka said. His son looked afraid, and he didn't want that. He was sixteen years old, almost a man, yet he was showing a child, a scared and trembling child inside.  
"Ku..."  
"Kurei..."  
Ohka closed his eyes. He knew that this time would come.  
Recca started to shake. "Otousama, what does this mean? Tell me the truth!"  
He leaned over the table and grabbed Ohka by the collar and shook him. "Otousama! What is it? What have you been hiding from me?! Speak up!" He continued to shake Ohka while recklessly destroying the utensils on the table.  
"Otousama! Tell me the truth!"  
Ohka gave Recca a hard punch on the face, which sent him flying accross the room. Kagerou quickly tried to help him back to his feet.  
"Ohka, don't be harsh on him!" she said.  
Recca pushed Kagerou's arm away and staggered to stand up on his own. He walked towards Ohka again. His father hit him on the face, repeating the previous event.  
"Stay calm and listen!" Ohka ordered, almost angrily. Recca sat up from his positon with Kagerou assisting him in the process.  
He cleared his throat. "Kurei is my son with a woman named Reina." Ohka began. "He is four yars older than you, and born with the flame, meaning that he is destined to become the next Hokage leader."  
"Everything seemed fine but the Elder had his doubts. Anyhow, Kurei grew, with Reina instilling pride in him. Four years later, you were born."  
"Everyone thought that you wouldn't be gifted with the flame, so Reina was still confident that Kurei would be the next one to lead Hokage. Your mother, on the other hand, was thrilled since you didn't have to carry such a heavy burden on you shoulders. But Reina souldn't be more contented with that. During your second night, she and Kurei came here with a gift of skulls, meaning death. But it's most probable that she just wants to express Kurei's superiority over you. "  
Recca interrupted. "I already know that."  
"Shut up and listen," Ohka reprimanded him, then continued. "During your seventh night, we discovered that you are also gifted with the flame, and two flame casters in one generation mean bad luck. We went to council to settle the matter."  
"Unlike what you know, Kurei didn't die of a disease. We went on with the meeting. Reina said that you should be killed because your birth will give bad luck to the clan. The elders thought otherwise and that having a second flame caster means that the first one wasn't good enough."  
"Kurei...was to be killed?"  
Ohka nodded. "Your mother and I pleaded that he shouldn't be killed. He was also my son, I couldn't let him die, either. S the council decided on just exiling Reina and Kurei to the outskirts of the village."  
"Kurei received mockery since then, and Reina's health condiditon started to waver. A year passed and one night, Kurei came here, and stabbed you on your cheek which went through the mouth in an attempt to kill you."  
Ohka saw the terror and confusion on his son's face, but decided to continue.  
"Kurei went to jail, and Reina died three years later. But taht doen't finish the story. Do you remember the attack of the Oni Clan when you were seven years old?"  
Recca nodded. That was the war wherein Tetsu's father died.  
"Kurei somehow escaped jail, and we had never heard of him ever since."  
All four of them kept silent, but Kagerou broke it a few momets later.  
"Recca, we're sorry to have hid all of this from you. "We thought that it's better for you to know about all of this when it's time for you to take leadership," she explained.  
Recca sat there, staring into space. Confused, he raised his hand shakily to his cheek, and felt the rough contours of the scar embedded on it. There were no questions anymore, yet, he was still unsure.  
"It's possible that Raishin and Jubei joined with Kurei long before and planned to betray us right form the start," Kamiya said disappointedly. "I always thought I could trust that man. Why did he do this?"  
The door suddenly opened. It was Koujiro, one of the messengers.  
"For the ears of Ohka-sama and Kamiya-sama only."  
Ohka nodded and looked at Kagerou to take herself and Recca out of the room. Recca obeyed. He felt too weak and confused to object.  
Kagerou helped him lie down on his futon. "Just rest there, Recca. Everything will be just fine."  
He fell asleep and woke up the next day. He went outside and was surprised to see his father preparing the fighters.  
"Otousama, what happened?" Recca asked.  
"We're going to war, Recca," he said firmly.  
Recca thought that it was one shock after another, but he didn't know that this one was a blessing in disguise.  
  
~Tsuzuku de gozaru yo~  



	7. Shichi Hen - Hime no Yume

The Untitled Past 7: Shichi Hen - Hime no Yume    
The Untitled Past 7   
Shichi Hen - Yume no Hime 

The children played outside. I smiled watching underneath the cherry tree in the garden. A child went up to me and handed me a fallen blossom.

"This is for you, Sakura-hime," she said smiling. 

"Thank you," I replied with a smile. The other children followed her and approached me. Their cheerful faces overwhelmed my heart.

"Tell us a story, Sakura-hime," another child said. 

"Yeah, he's right!" 

"Story! Story!" 

The oldest one of the kids hushed them. "Now, now, stop crowding over Sakura-hime." 

I shook my head. "It's okay, Tsubaki-kun." I signalled the children to come with me inside the house. "Here, inside." 

"Yatta!" 

My name is Sakura, princess of the Yoshino clan. 

I have a special power, the power to heal. It had been passed on to every female in our family. Unfortunately, the woman dies after giving birth to the next heir of the power. It happened to my mother, and until now, I still feel that I caused her death. 

I lived my life surrounded by guardians and had been isolated from the outside world, although that didn't prevent me from mingling with the young children of the clan. 

People describe me as a kind and gentle person. I don't know if I should agree or not. There's a part about that sentence that makes me think of myself as weak and helpless. And to make matters worse, my father, Yakata, has been more protective of me lately. 

I asked him one night about it. 

"Otousama, is there a problem I'm involved with?" 

He most probably saw the worry on my face, so he gave me a smile. "Sakura, you're my daughter. I don't like to see you worried like that." 

"But what is it?" I asked again. 

"This man, Takasugi, leader of the Khiba clan, he wants to marry you." 

I wrinkled my forehead. It was normal for clans to marry their princesses with others, to improve relationships, in other words, to avoid wars. 

"I don't want that." 

He puzzled me. This refusal might cause a war to erupt, and I don't want that, too, especially if it's because of me. Just because I can't be married off with someone doesn't mean that the tribe has to suffer in war. I said these thoughts out loud to my father. 

"I've also thought of that, Sakura. But Takasugi is an evil man. I put the whole clan's best interests at heart, and one of them is to keep you from marrying that bastard. They love you, my daughter, and so do I. Letting you marry Takasugi will be the last thing WE'D want to see." 

"But..." 

He gave a look which told me that I was dismissed. Before I left, he spoke up. 

"Don't worry, Sakura, I'll find a way." 

The next day, my father welcomed guests from another village called Hokage. They included a man with a scar across his right eye, and a boy around my age, most probably the son. They also had another middle-aged man with them. 

I later on found out that the boy's name was Recca. 

Recca... 

Two days after their arrival, I saw Recca sitting underneath the cherry tree in our garden. He seemed to have been thinking of something deep. I wasn't the type of person to snoop into other people's businesses, but I wanted to cheer him up at the same time. 

I approached him as quietly as possible but he noted my presence right away, just like a real shinobi. 

"Who is it?" he asked with a gentle but firm tone. 

I stammered a bit but realized that it was me. 

"Sakura-hime..." he said slowly in realization. 

I nodded. 

"May I help you?" he asked, then did obeisance. I waved my hadnd, telling him not to bother about it. He obeyed and stood up. I took a good look at him. 

He had black hair, and deep blue eyes. He was not very tall, although he was a head higher than me. Just like a shinobi, he was a little thin, but slender enough for fast movement. On his left cheek was a tiny scar. 

As I looked at it, a vision flowed into my mind. A dark night, inside a big compound...a young boy... then I heard an infant's scream. My hand held out to reach the infant and heal him, but then I snapped back to reality and realized that I was actually trying to reach Recca's scar, but his hand firmly held onto mine, keeping me from touching it. 

My face looked shock, though I dind't really mean that. 

He realized what he had just done and bowed in front of me. 

"I'm sorry, Sakura-hime, I...I...." 

I shook my head. "No, Recca-kun. I think I'm the one to ask for forgiveness. I shouldn't have..." 

We both kept quiet. It was a strange-looking scene. There, underneath the cherry tree, he knelt in front of me, while I looked at him. The cherry blossoms slowly fell. One landed on his head. 

He rubbed it off. I giggled then started to laugh softly. 

"What's so funny, Hime?" he asked, conscious of himself. 

I laughed even more. He, too, started to laugh. For no apparent reason, I was glad to see him happy. I felt attached to him. 

After laughing for a few moments, Recca invited me to sit with him underneath the Sakura tree. 

"I'll be glad to," I answered his invitaion. 

He smiled at me, then gently grabbed my hand and led me to a soft spot near its roots. 

There we sat, saying nothing at all. I wanted to start a conversation, but he beat me at it. 

"The blossoms are wonderful, aren't they?" he asked. 

I nodded. "I used to make wreaths out of them when I was a lot younger. Now I make ones for the children." 

"Don't you want to make one for yourself right now?" 

"Huh?" 

He stood up, withh a grin on his face, totally driving away the solemn mood. "If you want to, I'll gladly pick up some blossoms for you, Sakura-hime." 

"You don't need----" but he was already starting to climb the tree. 

He was standing on a thin branch reaching for a small blossom when it broke and cracked, making him fall not-so-hard on the ground. He really didn't scream in pain, but I heard him whimper. 

"I'm sorry," I cried. 

"No, it's okay, Hime," he said trying to sit up. "I've fallen from trees higher than that when I was a lot younger." 

I ignored his storytelling for a while then looked for bruises or scratches. I found one on his hand. I held it up and put my other hand over it. 

Using the strange power I have, I healed the scratch. He looked shocked in seeing this. 

"Hi-hime..." 

I smiled at him. "It may be strange, but I had this power ever since I was born. It's something passed on in our family, but because of this, my mother had to die." I felt a tear start to fall from my eye. 

He straightened himself up, then took out something from his pocket. It was a cherry blossom, which was only halfway through its blooming. 

"Here, Hime." 

"What's this?" 

"I was able to get this before I fell to the ground. It's for you." 

I blushed. 

"I hoped to get more so you can make a wreath for yourself. I'm sorry." 

"No, it's okay," I said ,flustering. 

He turned his gaze towards the sky. "You know, I find it strange. I have a special power, too. And like you, I lost someone because of it." He held up his right hand. Around his arm was a metal arm protector. 

"Let me show it to you." Suddenly flame came out of his right hand. 

I looked in amazement. For a few minutes, we just sat there, whith him and his flame glowing while I watched in amazement. 

The flame suddenly disappeared. He looked alarmed and stood up. 

"Who is it?" His father, named Ohka and my father appeared. 

"Otousama, Yakata-sama." He quickly performed obeisance. 

My father waved his obeisance off then glared at him. Recca semed to have understood something. 

"Excuse me," he told me, then left. 

My father gave me a hard look, as if I had done something bad. I looked at him with confusion. Ohka, on the other hand, was loooking at his son walk away. He had a slight worried expression on his face. 

I remained standing underneath the cherry tree for more than a few moments. Why did Recca leave me all of a sudden? Why did my father glare at him? And what was this mystery about Recca's power? And his scar? 

But my questions remained unanswered. Slowly, I felt a hand cover my nose with a piece of cloth. The strong aroma on it started to make me dizzy. 

The whole world continued to spin. Before I lost consciousness, I screamed out. 

"Recca-kun!" 

~ Tsuzuku de gozaru yo~ 


End file.
